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STUDENT BLOG: 8 things all University of Liverpool students know about the Library

by University of Liverpool Library on 2020-06-09T14:24:00+01:00 | 0 Comments

Girl using a laptop

  1. The Library is THE place on campus

As a student, you will attend lectures and seminars for your course but between those sessions, you will spend a lot of time studying independently and the Library is the go-to place to study on campus. Trust me, you will spend a lot of time here meeting friends, having lunch or taking a coffee break. The Library is open 24/7 and it’s a safe hub for students not only to study but also to meet friends and socialise (but not in the silent study areas!).

  1. The support is great

The Library is a really friendly and supportive place to study. Staff are helpful and will help you to find the books you need, find a study space if it’s a busy day and use the Library equipment such as the printers, binding machines and self-service check out machines – although those are so advanced these days that it’s difficult to get it wrong! You’ll often see free coffee and chat events happening in the libraries and let’s face it, who doesn’t love free coffee?! Library staff are always trying to understand how they can support students best and taking the time to listen to our feedback.

The Library also holds events like poetry recitals which are a great way to get involved with other students and staff and explore hobbies outside of your studies. And again, free coffee is always involved!

  1. KnowHow

All university students know that preparing for exams and assessments can be a lot of work and KnowHow academic skills support offered by the library is great for helping you to prepare. They offer sessions on essay writing skills, referencing, giving presentations and more – all the good stuff that we need to learn or brush up on. Check out some of their study tips. As well as this, there are dedicated liaison librarians for your subject who can help with any subject-specific questions you’ve got which is really useful!

  1. Forgotten your laptop? Not to worry.

The library offers lots of desktop computers for you to use to write assignments, do your research and print from. However, if you prefer to work on a laptop, the library also provides laptops to loan, so if you don’t feel like carrying your laptop up Mount Pleasant, you can just use a library laptop for the day!

  1. Special Collections & Archives

The University’s Special Collections & Archives are held in the Sydney Jones Library. Now, not all students will need to visit and use the collections, but for those students who want to use the collections and archives for their research, there’s a reading room that you can visit to explore the materials that you need. And not to worry, if you’re interested in the collections, but don’t actually need to use them for your studies, Special Collections & Archives hold events to give you an insight into the University’s history and their pretty cool collections. Check out this vlog series about the University’s huge Sci-Fi collections!

  1. Different areas for different noise levels

If you’re one of those people like me who can’t study unless you have complete silence, there’s a space for you in the library. The library has social study areas, quiet areas and silent areas to accommodate your study preferences. This works well 99% of the time and if there are ever loud conversations going on in the silent area, if you let library staff know and they will sort it out pretty quickly (you can even text them so you don’t even have to leave your study space)!

If even the silent study area is too much of a distraction for you, you can book an individual study room to focus on your work. Or if you have work to do in a group for a project or presentation, book a group study room to get things done.

  1. You get to know all of the local coffee shops and cafés

Let’s face it, spending a lot of time in the library can be tough going and your focus can definitely start to disappear after a few hours. Spending a lot of time in the libraries means you will probably get to know a lot of the local cafés, coffee shops and restaurants to keep your energy levels up and keep you going through those study sessions. My morning coffee always helped me to get through the early starts in the library and there are plenty of local cafés to choose from! We’re lucky that the campus is surrounded by so many great places to get food and drink.

If, however, you want to save some money for your nights out instead (student life), there are hot water machines in the libraries so you can make your own hot drinks!

  1. The Christmas trees

Anyone who has studied at the University of Liverpool knows that the Christmas trees in the libraries are epic. If you’ve ever seen staff in the Sydney Jones putting up the huge Christmas tree, it takes quite a few people to assemble but it’s definitely worth it. The Harold Cohen usually has two or three different Christmas trees too, and the festive vibe makes being in the libraries in December that little bit more cheerful and fun (even when you’re preparing for exams!).

 

Christmas Tree in Sydney Jones Library

Written by University of Liverpool alumni


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